cliff

noun

ˈklif 

: a very steep, vertical, or overhanging face of rock, earth, or ice : precipice

cliffy

ˈkli-fē 

adjective

Synonyms

• barranca
• barranco
• bluff
• crag
• escarpment
• palisade
• precipice
• scar
• scarp

Examples of cliff in a Sentence

Standing at the edge of the cliff, we watched the waves crash on the shore far below.

rock climbers scaling steep cliffs

Recent Examples on the Web

Pigeons also adapted in response to human development, nesting on skyscrapers instead of on cliff faces and expanding their range alongside people. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 May 2025

Over the franchise's 30-year span, Cruise has done everything from dangling from a wire in Mission: Impossible to motorcycling off a cliff in Mission Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One. —Skyler Trepel, People.com, 25 May 2025

Sirens opens on the majestic image of Julianne Moore, resplendent in white silk, striding barefoot through a forest to a beachside cliff. —Caroline Framke, Vulture, 22 May 2025

Related: 4 epic waterfall road trip itineraries in Colorado Colorado’s waterfalls are summer showstoppers tucked into canyons, tumbling over cliffs, or splashing into hidden swimming holes. —Jennifer Broome, Denver Post, 20 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English clif, from Old English; akin to Old High German klep cliff, Old Norse klif

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cliff

• cliff dweller
• cliff-hanger
• cliff swallow

Rhymes for cliff

• biff
• diff
• glyph
• griff
• if
• riff
• schiff
• skiff
• sniff
• stiff
• tiff
• whiff

Kids Definition

cliff

noun

ˈklif 

: a high steep surface of rock, earth, or ice